All the ugly things will come back around: WHERE THERE'S SMOKE.

Where There's Smoke by Rachel Louise Adams


Newly divorced, Dolores Hawthorne has returned to Wisconsin from California, becoming a local medical examiner. She's living closer to what's left of her family and adjusting to her new life. She's called to the scene of the local slaughterhouse, Marcy's Meats, when a worker finds a body (yuck). Soon, the case has gotten big and FBI Agent Paul Turner is back, along with newly recruited Kate Butcher.

This is an excellent follow-up to what was an excellent first book in the Coldren County series. Dolores is a wonderful, complex, and nuanced character, still struggling with getting to know her brother and teenage sister. Once a forensic pathologist, she's pretty bored as a medical examiner in a small town--until someone's dropped in with the pigs.

Sound gruesome? These books aren't for the faint of heart. They are grim and gross and full of plenty of details about the slaughterhouse, autopsies, death, and so much more.

But they are so worth it. Adams weaves a dark and horrifying story, linking together the slaughterhouse and the local prison along with local secrets and a whole lotta small town lies. As she does, she delves into the ties that bind siblings and family, along with the power of men--and exactly how much they can get away with.

I highly recommend this series!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Minotaur Books in return for an unbiased review.


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